Jason Hammel shines in Baltimore Orioles’ 2-1 win over Atlanta Braves – MLB Spring Training
Baltimore Orioles defeated Atlanta Braves 2-1 at the Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota Florida on March 8 in their Grapefruit League clash of the 2012 Major League Baseball Spring Training Session.
The Orioles have looked in terrific touch since the start of this season. What made them so successful in their previous Spring Training games was their ability to play aggressive brand of baseball even under immense pressure. Showing same qualities, the Orioles clinched an important win over the Braves on Thursday.
The Braves, on the other hand, will be disappointed with the outcome of the game. Despite putting up a valiant show, they were unable to cross the wire in a closely contested game. Manager Fredi Gonzalez looked very frustrated at the end of the game. The Braves have made a poor start to their Spring Training campaign. Losing five out six games in the last week, they have not been able to execute their strategies. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back from another demoralising defeat.
"You want to win ballgames because it's a mindset you want to take to the season," Gonzalez said.
"It's still early when you've played seven, eight, nine, 10 games, but the number one thing now is being healthy -- but you want to win ballgames. Any competitor who says different is probably lying to you."
Scoring only seven runs in their five losses, Braves’ hitting department is struggling to score runs. Averaging just .216 with the bat this spring, there will be some serious concerns about batting in their camp.
Jason Hammel was absolutely brilliant for the Orioles as he allowed just two hits and walked one in two innings. The pitcher was acquired by the club last month and he is already showing glimpses of his talent.
"For the first time out, considering all things, the results were good. I started with the fastball. It was a little erratic today. That was my goal -- to work on fastball command. The first inning results were good," Hammel said.
The Orioles have done reasonably well in Spring Training and they will be looking to continue their excellent run throughout the season to cheer up their fans.
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